Love as a Verb

The following is a letter I wrote to a dear friend who was not feeling loved by someone that is close to us both.   I have deleted the people's names and substituted with *****.


Dear ******

Its a very big irritant to me that for most people the word Love is a noun or adjective or adverb and they throw around the word so freely.

But Jesus usual expression of the word was as a verb.

So bear with me a moment as i try to illustrate my heart here.

Imagine that luv (l u v) is love that we feel for a friend.

And luve (l u v e) is the feeling we feel for someone dear to us like a mate or child or close friend.

And Love is a verb TOWARD any of the above people?

I am spelling them differently for distinction in definition.

Well. Most of the time when those people above say "i love you Bud/Poppy", what they are really saying is "i luv you or i luve you and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and i would sure be sad if something happened to you".

But a very few people in our lives don't have to express the feeling, but they LOVE us as a verb. They DO their love TO us.

Jesus gave the ultimate LOVE VERB example when He said "there is no greater Love than that a man lay down his life for another"

I don't think He was just saying that in a literal sense. But also in a figurative sense too.

I.e. " I am going to LOVE someone by making the needs of their life more important than my own"

This is difficult to do. And with most people we come in contact with impossible. But the people i describe above "could" LOVE VERB us, because they (more than most) could be in a position to know our needs and favor us.  But they don't. Because it"s 1. Time consuming 2. Inconvenient 3. Requires investment of their life into someone else's and they are simply selfish. 4. Might require follow up?

Now. My children luv me. They luve to see me.  They feel warm and fuzzy when we are together.

They would hurt and be sad if i died.

But what i need from them is for them to LOVE VERB me and let me be LOVE VERBING them.

Ditto with your *****.

50% ditto with *****  (although not 100% because he often does LOVE VERB me but he's very very very busy with 100 business responsibilities and "churchy/religious" activities.

**** LOVE VERBS me when he can fit me in with the other stuff that is important in his routine.

Nevertheless, i am very grateful for his Love when he can show it and i am very blessed that he gives me opportunities to Love him.

I try to Love ***** as often as i can. And certainly i always Luv and Luve him. But to LOVE VERB someone you really have to stay connected to them. ***** is at a place in his life where he would be happy for me to Love him all i will, but his domestic relationship is going to keep him from LOVE VERBING anyone except ******.

So frankly i don't Love him as much as i could because i need a connection that he cant give his half to? 

That "connectedness" does not require a daily or even constant or frequent occasion. It just means you find reason to be there for another when they are in need, and then to "prefer" their needs above your own

My own kids are not connected to me.  But you always find time to be.  And for that i am very very very grateful.

Thank you for feeling luv FOR

me. Thank you for feeling luve FOR me.

And most of all thank you for LOVING me.

I Luv You. I Luve You.

But greatest of these is that:

I LOVE YOU today and anytime i can